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The Book of
Revelation
A Commentary for the Body of Christ
Revelation chapter 1
Revelation 1:1-20, “The revelation of Jesus
Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must
shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: who bare record of the word
of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he
saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy,
and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. John to the seven churches which are in Asia:
Grace be unto you, and peace, from
him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits
which are before his throne; and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the
earth. Unto him that loved us, and
washed us from our sins in his own blood. And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and
ever. Amen. Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye
shall see him, and they also which
pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the
ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the
Almighty. I John, who also am your
brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus
Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the
testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the
Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, what thou seest, write in a book, and
send it unto the seven churches which
are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto
Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodocia. And I turned to see the voice that spake with
me. And being turned, I saw seven golden
candlesticks; and in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the
foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; and his feet
like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the
sound of many waters. And he had in his
right hand seven stars: and out of his
mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and
his countenance was as the sun
shineth in his strength. And when I saw
him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he
laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the
last: I am he that liveth, and was dead, and, behold, I am alive for
evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. Write the things which thou has seen, and the
things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; the mystery of the
seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden
candlesticks. The seven stars are the
angels of the seven churches: and the
seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.”
In the
four Gospels we see Jesus Christ as meek, lowly, humble and subject to his
enemies, finally dying on the cross. In
the Book of Revelation we see the Living Jesus Christ as he is right now in
heaven, in absolute control of the universe under God the Father, as our High
Priest, interceding for us with the Father.
Revelation 1:1, “The revelation of Jesus
Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must
shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John.” The word
“revelation” is the Greek word apokalupsis,
meaning “the uncovering, unveiling or revelation”, and it is called in verse 1
“The uncovering, unveiling or revelation of Jesus Christ”, not the revelation
of John as so many people like to call it.
“to shew unto his servants things which must
shortly come to pass.” In Revelation 22:10 John is told “seal not the sayings of
the prophecy of this book.” Daniel, in
contrast, in the 500s BC was told to seal the meaning of what was revealed to
him, and that in the time of the end, people would understand it’s meaning. Important secrets about the Kingdom of God
weren’t to be revealed until the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Mark 4:11-12 says, “And he said to them, ‘To
you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those
who are outside, all things come in parables, so that ‘Seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and
not understand; lest they should turn, and their sins be forgiven them.’
[Isaiah 6:9-10].” The book of Daniel
has to be understood in the light of what is revealed in the Book of
Revelation, the two are almost parallel prophecies, as we’ll come to see. Revelation reveals the secrets about the
coming Kingdom of God which are given in both the book of Revelation and the
book of Daniel--- the secrets about the prophecies of the Kingdom of God. It is also a vital key for unlocking the
meaning and timing of all the Kingdom of God prophecies given in the Old
Testament, such as are found in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and all of the Minor
Prophets from Hosea to Malachi.
“And he sent and signified it.” Remember,
a key rule about prophecy, 2 Peter 1:20-21, “…knowing this first, that no
prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came
by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” As J. Vernon McGee says, “The symbols given
in Revelation are symbols of reality”, real things that are going to come to
pass leading up to the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ and the
establishment of the literal Kingdom of God on earth.
“must shortly come to pass” indicates urgent and absolute certainty that these things
will occur. “shortly” has the meaning that when an event, say like vengeance,
begins to occur, it will happen speedily, with great speed, in a brief
time-span. It does not indicate that
these events are about to occur right now, as you’re reading this, or when John
first heard and saw these things, as he was writing them down. No, it does not indicate that at all.
Revelation 1:2, “Who bare record of the Word
of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he
saw.”
“Who bore record”, John is the scribe, he’s witnessing these events,
actually seeing and hearing them like we would if we were watching an
action/adventure movie. It’s like John
is an eyewitness, and he records everything he saw and heard.
“of the word of God” The Word of God
here refers to both Jesus Christ, who is the Living Word of God, and to what is
written in this book. It is the
Revelation of Jesus Christ written down in words.
“and of all things that he saw.” John saw
all these things, both saw and heard them. He might have even smelled them too, like smelling the stench coming off
a battle-field. It was real to John,
what he was witnessing, and he wrote it all down.
Revelation 1:3, “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy,
and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.” Jesus
says there’s a blessing for those who read and/or hear the words of this
prophecy. It states right here that the
words in the book of Revelation are prophecy. This is a book of prophecy, and Jesus is saying there will be a blessing
bestowed on those who hear or read the words of this book. Prophecy, when properly understood, makes us
as believers understand several important points. One, this world, age of man (and Satan) is
temporary, and the coming Kingdom of God is going to be permanent, and is what
counts. Prophecy is meant to take our
eyes off of the things of the world and place them on the things of the
Kingdom, the ways of that coming Kingdom of God. Those ways are explained and expounded upon
within the four Gospels and all the Epistles of the apostles. Prophecy also reveals to us that God wins in
the end, not Satan, not the world or its armies or it’s political leaders. They don’t win in the end, God does, our
Lord Jesus Christ does. Those are a few
of the blessings conferred on the readers and hearers of the words written in
the book of Revelation. That is what
Jesus Christ told John in verse 3 of Revelation 1.
Incredible
greeting, verses 4-8
Revelation 1:4, “John to the seven churches
which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which
is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the Seven Spirits which are
before his throne.” This is a greeting from John, the writer and from Christ in
heaven, and from the Holy Spirit. “Asia” here is referring to Asia Minor
(the area of modern Turkey now) where these seven churches are located, the
seven churches the book of Revelation was sent to, I would assume, as a letter,
since John is addressing them in particular. But this salutation (which Paul uses often) and greeting is also
addressed to us, as we shall see in the next two chapters. It is addressed to all believers down through
the ages.
“Grace be unto you, and peace.” The word grace is charis, the Greek form of greeting at the beginning of a
letter. And peace is the Hebrew shalom,
the Hebrew form of greeting at the beginning of a letter. Often my Israeli friends will start their
letters or emails to me with the word “Shalom Pete” instead of “Dear
Pete”. Paul when writing used both the
Greek and Hebrew words for greeting, thus representing the two major branches
of the body of Christ, the Jewish and Gentile branches. John is doing the same here.
“from him…and from the seven Spirits” refers to Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, also probably
referring to the seven lampstands.
Revelation 1:5-6, “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and
the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own
blood. And hath made us kings and
priests unto God, and his Father: to him be glory and dominion for ever and
ever. Amen.”
“faithful witness” indicates that Jesus is the only trustworthy witness to
what’s written in the book of Revelation.
“first begotten of the dead” shows Jesus is the first to rise from the dead, the first
human being, God in the flesh, the very first to rise from the dead. And he is never to die again. He was the first in the process, but will not
be the only human to rise from the dead. He is never to die again, he now is in a glorified body, glowing like the
sun in its full strength, as we shall soon see.
“the prince [ruler] of the kings of the
earth” refers to the future position of
Jesus Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords, King of the whole earth (cf.
Zechariah 14:9).
“washed us from our sins in his own
blood” It is the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross, that
paid the penalty for my sins and yours, and the sins of everyone who asks and
accepts Jesus into their lives. We will
never be totally sinless as human beings. We are supposed to become less sinful as we grow in the Lord. But Jesus has paid the whole penalty for all
of our sins, for each and every one of us. Do not be like some people who call themselves Christian, who belittle
the blood of Christ, either verbally or through their actions.
Revelation 1:7, “Behold, he cometh with
clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail
because of him. Even so, Amen.” The
actual literal second coming of Jesus Christ is described here (cf. Matthew
24:29-30). “they also which pierced him…” refers to the Jews, as it is written
in Zechariah 12:10b, “then will they look on me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for him as one mourns
for his only son.” The part of the body
of Christ that believe in the Rapture of the Church, doesn’t believe this verse
refers to that Rapture. They believe
that when Jesus does come to Rapture the Church, not every eye will see
him. But they do believe that when Jesus
comes to take over rulership of the earth, that it is then when he comes down
and stands on the Mount of Olives, as Zechariah 14 describes. They believe, and properly so, that this
verse 7 in Revelation chapter 1 refers to the actual 2nd coming of
Jesus Christ. Here, as we see, it says
that “every eye shall see him”.
Revelation 1:8, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord,
which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” “Alpha”
and “Omega” are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Jesus is the beginning and the end of God’s
alphabet, Gods communication with mankind---the Living Word of God. If you are going to successfully communicate
with God the Father, you’ve got to do it by and through the Word of God, both
written and Living. Jesus Christ was at
the beginning of God’s creation, as the pre-incarnate Christ, Yahweh, the Great
I AM (cf. Genesis 1:1; Exodus 3:13-13; John 8:58-59), and he is at the end of
God’s great plan of salvation, as the book of Revelation will show us. Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and
forever.” Revelation 22:13, “I am the
Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning
and the End, the First and the
Last.” Jesus says this at the beginning
of Revelation and then says it at the end. Verse 4 through 8 make up this incredible opening section of greetings
from John the eyewitness and writer, and from Jesus Christ.
Post-Incarnate
Christ, verses 9-20
Revelation 1:9, “I John, who also am your
brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus
Christ, was in the isle of Patmos, for the Word of God, and for the testimony
of Jesus Christ.” John describes where he received this astounding vision
from the Lord.
“your brother, and companion in tribulation” refers to the local persecution going on in Asia Minor
under Domitian (AD 96). This emperor had
put John in prison on the Isle of Patmos, a rugged volcanic island off the
coast of Asia Minor (it’s 10 miles long and 6 miles wide). John was exiled there by Domitian from about
86AD to 96AD. John had been very active
in the church at Ephesus and throughout all the churches in Asia Minor,
teaching the Word of God. You get in
trouble when you teach from all of the Word of God. But be of good cheer, you’re in good
company. He is a companion in
tribulation with those he’s directly writing this to, the seven churches in
Asia Minor. So John’s stating where he
is when he received this vision directly from Jesus Christ.
Revelation 1:10-11, “I was in the Spirit on
the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I
am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, what thou seest, write in a
book, and send it [ie, the entire book] unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and
unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and
unto Laodocia.” John is receiving
this vision by, through, and as a result of the indwelling Holy Spirit. John 16:13-14, “However, when he, the Spirit
of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth; for he will not speak on
his own authority, but whatever he
hears he will speak; and he will tell you things to come. He will glorify me, for he will take of what
is mine and declare it unto
you.” We are about to see the glorified
Jesus Christ (in vision here), in his divine office as our Great High
Priest. Hebrews 3:1, “Therefore, holy
brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High
Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus,…”
“I was in the Spirit…” i.e. the
Holy Spirit was giving John a sight and sound panoramic picture. Motion pictures, movies didn’t exist back
then, but John was the first to see one that would make today’s Hollywood
movies appear puny and amateurish by comparison.
“on the Lord’s day…” No one’s sure of
the meaning of this. Some scholars say
it represents “the Day of the Lord” which ties into all the “Day of the Lord”
tribulation prophecies. Others say it
represents either the Sabbath or Sunday, an ordinary ‘day of worship’, whatever
day that may have been for the early Church in Asia Minor back then.
“…and heard behind me a great voice, as of a
trumpet.” Who was it? John
tells us in the very next two verses. Obviously this voice had a blaring volume to it, probably blasted poor
John off his feet, that is, before he fainted dead away at the feet of this
glorified Jesus.
Revelation 1:12-13, “And I turned to see the
voice that spake with me. And being turned,
I saw seven golden candlesticks; and in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed
with a garment down to the feet, and girt about the paps with a golden
girdle.” John turns around to see the voice---like a trumpet blast---that
spoke to him, and saw “one like unto the
Son of man”, i.e. one like Jesus Christ in appearance. But he appeared different somehow. He was standing in the midst of seven
candlesticks or lampstands, made of gold. Unlike the Hebrew candelabra of the Old Testament, the Menorah which
stood in the Temple, these lampstands are seven individual lampstands, seven of
them. Take note of that. Dr. Herman Hoeh, a knowledgeable historian in
the old Worldwide Church of God said that the seven connected candlesticks of
the Menorah represented the Old Testament ‘Church in the Wilderness’ under the
high priest system. The Temple was a
church indeed, but had continuity of leadership from the time of Aaron, its
first high priest until Caiaphus in the time of Christ. These lampstands Jesus Christ is standing in
the midst of are separate and individual, representing seven individual
churches. What those seven lampstands
and seven churches represent will become clear to you in the next two chapters
of Revelation. Be patient.
“one like unto the Son of man” Next, the appearance of Jesus here. John says “one like unto the Son of
man”. The one who spoke like a trumpet
had the appearance of Jesus Christ, but something was radically different about
him. Throughout the Gospels Jesus
referred to himself as the Son of man. So this is Jesus John is beholding, but somehow different in appearance,
as we’ll see in a few verses. He’s
standing in the middle of these seven golden lampstands it says, “clothed with a garment down to the feet,
and girded about the chest with a golden girdle (or sash).” These garments are quite similar (maybe
identical) to those of the high priest in Exodus 28:2-4. What is being pictured
here to John is Jesus Christ, as he stands in the midst of the churches, those
seven churches, standing in their midst judging them, as we will see in the
next two chapters. And we will see that
he is actively judging them, trimming the wicks of these church-lampstands, so
that they will burn brightly. This active
trimming or pruning is something John quoted Jesus about in John 15:1-2, where
he quoted Jesus as saying, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the
vinedresser. Every branch in me that
does not bear fruit he takes away; and every branch that bears fruit he prunes, that it may bear more
fruit.” Jesus as our high priest, along
with the Father as John 15 shows us, is interceding and intervening for us on a
daily basis, pruning, washing the ‘feet of the saints’ (1 John 1:9). His ministry, as a part of this, is also of
inspection and judgment (‘every branch that does not bear fruit, he cuts off,
or takes away.’) Where is Jesus now, as
pictured here? He’s walking in the midst
of these lampstands. The lamps on the
lampstands, just like the Menorah, burn pure olive oil, which represents the
Holy Spirit. Our light to the world is
not light at all if it is not due to the indwelling Holy Spirit within each of
us, burning within us, and collectively the churches we attend. Again John 15:1-2 shows he is in the constant
process of inspection and pruning, trimming the wicks of our lamps, cutting
away the deadwood. In John 15:1-2
another translation for the word “pruning” is “washing”. In the actual process of vine-dressing and
growing of grapes sometimes the vinedresser actually prunes or cuts off or cuts
back live branches, to make them grow more, it stimulates growth. He also washes the branches of the vines,
which keeps them healthy and free from disease and parasites. Pruning actually promotes growth, and there
is a whole science about the pruning of the various species of plants to
promote growth. It is the trials
Christians go through that have a pruning effect on them. We are washed and continually sanctified by
the Holy Spirit within us, and made to burn brightly.
Revelation 1:14-16, “His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; and his feet
like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the
sound of many waters. And he had in his
right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and
his countenance was as the sun
shineth in his strength.” As John turned around and saw Jesus clothed in this royal
High Priestly robe with a golden sash wrapped around his chest, he now also
noticed what Jesus looks like in the full intensity of his glorified state,
probably as he was as Yahweh in the Holy of Holies, but most definitely as he
is now. The Bible says that no man can
look on God and live. But remember John
is seeing this as a vision, so he isn’t vaporized, as Jesus’ appearing on the
Mount of Olives (cf. Zechariah 14:12-15) will do to his enemies at his 2nd coming. It says “his countenance” his appearance “was as the sun shineth in his strength.” If you got too close to the sun, it would
vaporize you instantly. When Jesus
returns, the sun, moon and stars will appear to go dark, simply due to the fact
that Jesus’ luminosity (a term used in astronomy) is far brighter than that of
the sun and stars.
“He has in his right hand the seven
stars.” This would indicate that Jesus is in total control of the
universe, and he is. But that isn’t
Jesus’ own interpretation for this portion of the verse. We will see what it is a little later. But Jesus is in control of the whole
universe, now estimated as being composed of upwards of 100 billion
galaxies!
“Out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged
sword” Now this probably is a metaphor. Jesus is called in John 1 “the Word of God”, he is the Living Word of
God. What does Hebrews 4:12 tell
us? “For the Word of God is quick, and
powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing
asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of
the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Revelation 1:17-18, “And when I saw him, I
fell at his feet as dead. And he laid
his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the
last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for
evermore, Amen. and have the keys of
hell [Hades] and of death.” Do you
remember how the apostle John was the disciple who was really close and
friendly with Jesus at the last supper? He was actually leaning against Jesus’ chest during part of the meal. But when John saw Jesus as he is now, even
today, in this vision, and then heard him speak with a voice like a blaring
trumpet and “as the sound of many waters” (ever stand up close to Niagara
Falls?), well, John says, “I fell at his
feet as dead.” John may have actually fainted dead away,
right on the spot. Can you imagine
this? John saw this stunning moving
image, with sound and all, like a holographic 3-D image that looked realer than
real, he saw what we just read through (but written words cannot do it
justice), and he fainted dead away at the feet of the glorified Jesus
Christ. What we have taken perhaps five,
ten minutes to read through John saw and heard, verses 1-17, within a matter of
seconds, then plop, he’s down on the ground, probably out cold. Can you even begin to imagine what John just
experienced here? I don’t think any of
us can.
“And he laid his right hand upon me, saying
unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last.” First,
obviously, Jesus had to revive John. Then he identifies himself again as he did
in verses 10-11, “I am Alpha and Omega,
the first and the last.”
“And have the keys of Hades and of
death” This sentence speaks of the authority and power the
resurrected, glorified Jesus has. He has
authority over Hades and death itself. Jesus said “I am the resurrection and the life.” Paul stated “For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life.” Hades is a word used in the Bible to denote the grave, simple as
that. The body of Christ in its various
denominations have placed differing interpretations as to what they think Hades
represents. That is not the purpose of
this commentary. [If you’re interested
in that subject, and the various beliefs held within the body of Christ, log
onto http://www.unityinchrist.com/plaintruth/battle.htm and read through those two articles.]
The
three divisions of the Book of Revelation
Revelation 1:19, “Write the things which thou
hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be
hereafter.” Here Jesus repeats his instructions to John, that he is to
write those things which he sees. But
this time there’s a timing element thrown into the command to write what he
sees, the three tenses, past, present and future. The book of Revelation is divided into these
three tenses, even for us reading it today. “Write the things which thou hast
seen”, past tense, “and those things
which are”, present tense, “and the
things which shall be hereafter”, future tense.
“the things which thou hast seen”, past tense. John
had seen the glorified Jesus Christ. So
the past tense refers to everything John just saw and wrote about from
Revelation 1:1 to Revelation 1:19.
“the things which are”, the present tense. These are to be the prophecies of the Church in seven successive era’s,
starting from its birth at Pentecost (31/32AD) through the seven successive
periods of its history. This goes
through Revelation chapters 2 and 3.
“the things which shall be hereafter”, future tense, or as J. Vernon McGee’s personal (and
strictly unofficial) translation renders this, “the things which you are about to see after these things.” The Dispensational Pre-Millennial side of the
body of Christ (i.e. those who believe in the pre-millennial Rapture of the
Church) believe this about verse 19, quoting J. Vernon McGee, “This is the
program of Jesus Christ, and we shall see that the Church goes to heaven, and
then we shall see these things take place on the earth after the Church leaves it. This program of Jesus Christ is covered by
[Revelation] chapters 4-22.” [J. Vernon
McGee, THRU THE BIBLE SERIES, Vol. V, p. 897, par. 7] As to whether the Church at the end times is
protected by being taken to “a place or places of safety” or Raptured to heaven
to be protected from the events of Revelation 4-19, is immaterial. The Bible promises God will protect the
Philadelphia era “from the hour of temptation”, i.e. the tribulation, and
perhaps the trying time that leads up to it. But the Scriptural passages that prove it’s gonna be a “Rapture to
heaven” or being taken to a “Place of
Safety on earth” are so much in the grey area as far as proper interpretation,
that it just doesn’t matter, and only proves divisive to the body of
Christ. The Classic or Historic
Pre-Millennial side of the body of Christ differs only slightly with J. Vernon
McGee’s statement, in that they believe the Philadelphia era of the Christian
Church stays put on earth, but is protected from the Great Tribulation (cf.
Rev. 4-22) in either “a place of safety” or “many places of safety around the world” which God will bring them to. Again, the Scriptures that back up either
pre-millennial interpretation can be taken in one of two ways, pro-Rapture or
Pro-Place-of-Safety. Both sides,
Dispensational or Classic Pre-millennial make real doctrinal mountains out of
this spiritual mole-hill, and much to their discredit. I try to present both sides, and leave it at
that, simply because the issue is in God’s hands, really, and has proven to be
nothing but divisive within the body of Christ. That is to our shame, not credit. Better to climb off that particular soap box. We will look at those verses in Revelation
4. Hopefully, regardless of which
interpretation you believe, you will come to see that this is a secondary
doctrine of the Bible and not a primary one---ie your salvation doesn’t hinge
on which way you believe, and arguing about it is only a waste of time, which
is so precious nowadays.
“And in his right hand seven stars” Remember
that in verse 16? And then in verses
12-13 shows Jesus standing “in the midst of seven candlesticks” (or
lampstands)? Well, the Bible usually
interprets its own symbols, and Jesus’ own interpretation for verses 12-13 and
verse 16 is found in verse 20 of Revelation 1. Revelation 1:20, “The mystery of
the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden
candlesticks. The seven stars are the
angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are
the seven churches.” Even though I
said that some interpret the meaning of the seven stars in the right hand of
Jesus show he’s got the whole universe under his direct control, we must be
very careful about tacking our own interpretations onto Scripture, without backing
it up with other Scripture in proper context. That interpretation I mentioned is not the Bible’s or Jesus’
interpretation about what the seven stars represent or are symbolic of. In Jesus’ own words to John the seven stars
represent the seven angels of the seven churches.
“The seven candlesticks which thou sawest are
the seven churches.” And that last statement introduces us to the next two
chapters in the book of Revelation, chapters 2 & 3. There are potentially two interpretations as
to who the angels of the seven churches are. The word “angel” here and in verse 20 is the Greek word meaning
“messenger”. Some, including J. Vernon
McGee think “messenger” represents the leader or senior pastor of each of the
seven churches, and by extrapolation, the founding leader who starts up that
‘church’s era’. But others interpret
“messenger” as actually meaning “angel”, as the Greek for “angel” is messenger
in other places throughout the Bible and New Testament, and is actually being
used to denote real angels, who are also referred to as “messengers”. Take your pick, we don’t know for sure. The translators translated the Greek word
“messenger” as “angel” because they strongly believed that was what it
meant. I am inclined to believe
them. [Strongs # 32, for the word
“angel” has aggelos; messenger; esp. an “angel”. This is the word used almost exclusively
throughout the whole New Testament for the word “angel”.]
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